Oddly enough, being the GOP leader in Clifton Park, one of the most safely Republican towns in the Capital Region, may just be the hardest job in the world — at least judging by how quickly it seems to devour those who don the crown.

Telesh, you may recall, was criticized for online statements attributed to him — and published in the Times Union — that called homosexuality an abomination.

In addition to steering the Clifton Park GOP, Telesh has been a strong backer of Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione in her primary against state Sen. Roy McDonald, a Saratoga Republican, that stems in part on McDonald's decision to buck his party and cast one of the deciding votes for legalizing same-sex marriage last year.

Telesh denied any ill will toward gays and countered that he was the victim of a smear campaign by the media.

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Still, several prominent members of the committee, including now-former Vice Chairman Robert Ritter and Clifton Park County Supervisor Anita Daly, called on Telesh to step down. His resignation was effective July 1, according to the email.

"People warned me that being Chairman is like 'herding cats' but they are wrong," Telesh wrote. "At least here in Clifton Park it is more like containing piranhas. ... The piranhas are those members who are always at the center of every controversy either real or manufactured."

Telesh endorsed Peter Murray, the committee's current treasurer, as his successor and accused Ritter of being the "ringleader" of a failed coup in May.

"I truly thought Mr. Ritter was my friend and that I could help him use his opportunity as Vice-Chairman to show that he could act in a wholesome manner quieting the critics who felt he could not," Telesh indignantly wrote. "I guess I was wrong."

A vote on the new chairman is scheduled for September.

Ritter, meanwhile, replied in kind, telling Insider: "It wasn't a failed coup. That's the furthest thing from the truth. The focus of this should be statements that he made that have now prompted his resignation."

Upfront about charge

The campaign season's most skilled act of political jujitsu so far may go to Shawn Morse

Morse, the chairman of the Albany County Legislature and a Cohoes Democrat running in a primary against eight-term state Sen. Neil Breslin, disclosed on Tuesday in a joint press release with Sheriff Craig Apple urging July 4th safety that he had once been arrested for driving while intoxicated.

"When I was a young man, I made the mistake of drinking and driving," Morse is quoted saying in the press release. "I was fortunate in that no one else was involved, but it was still a terrible mistake. Putting other people's safety at risk; losing your license and paying a fine, risking jail time — it's just not worth it."

A cynic might suggest that by disclosing the incident himself, Morse may well have disarmed his opponents from using it against him — and by doing it the day before a holiday, he may have been hoping that it would fly under the radar.

But Morse, in an interview, countered that his arrest — which he said happened 15 or 16 years ago — was no secret and had already been widely discussed during prior races.

A quick search of the Times Union archives found no mention of the incident, but Morse said he's often discussed it with youth he talks to in the city.

"That's been something that I've talked about for 15 years. It's never been hidden," Morse said. "My motto has always been that life gives you lessons, and the biggest mistake that you make is not sharing them with others."

Morse, who is now in his early 40s, said the irony of his arrest was that it came after he walked home from a softball game for fear that he was too intoxicated to drive. Several hours later, however, he said, he was asked to go pick up someone else who needed a ride and mistakenly thought he was by then sober enough.

Morse said the arrest resulted in a plea to a violation of driving while ability impaired, for which he paid a fine and received a restricted driver's license that allowed him to keep his job as a Cohoes firefighter.

"I paid the price," he said. "I faced the embarrassment. I took it as a man. I dealt with the consequence."

But the party membership opted instead — against his wishes — to back no one in what could end up being a six-way contest.

Still Clyne himself — who also is chairman of the Democratic committee in Bethlehem, newly a part of the 109th Assembly District — is not staying out of the fray.

When petitions started circulating last month, Clyne appeared on Pat Fahy's committee to fill vacancies — alongside Guilderland Democratic Chairman David Bosworth

And on Monday, when Fahy, a former Albany school board member, opened her campaign headquarters at 44 Central Ave. in the city, Clyne was among the politicians and community members standing at Fahy's side.

County Legislator Michael Mackey, who is also Democratic chairman in New Scotland, the third suburban town in the district, was also at Fahy's side — as were most of the Albany Common Council members from wards inside the Assembly district.

Mayor Jerry Jennings, meanwhile, is backing Frank Commisso Jr for the seat, while the Albany Police Officers Union and its parent union, Council 82, recently announced they are backing William McCarthy, an assistant state attorney general on leave while he runs for office.

Councilman Anton Konev, who lives nearby Fahy's new campaign HQ, hovered on the periphery of Fahy's ribbon cutting on Monday. He wasn't there to show support so much as size up the opposition. Konev is backing County Legislator Christopher Higginsand noted, with some measure of satisfaction, that Fahy's command center is about a half-block outside the district.

Inside Politics is compiled by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist. Jimmy Vielkind contributed. Reach the Insider at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com, 454-5445 or on Twitter @JCEvangelist_TU